“I told you to stay in the car, dammit!” Luca barks at her.
“She’s my sister,” Jill growls back, and she immediately locks eyes with my girl. “Jasmine. You’re alive … I was so worried.”
“I’m fine, but you guys need to leave. Now,” Jasmine replies.
“What?” Jill seems shocked.
“The fuck I will. I didn’t come all this way for nothing,” Luca barks as he drags Jasmine away from the cabin.
He holds her so close to his body I can’t shoot without injuring her too. And it fucking hurts to watch her get hauled away without being able to do anything.
“Luca, stop!” Jasmine cries. “He didn’t take me! I came here out of my own free will, goddammit!”
“I don’t fucking care,” Luca growls back, pulling her through the woods.
I follow them on foot. “Luca, listen to her!”
“Stay out of this, motherfucker!” Luca threatens.
“Luca, please, be careful,” Jill begs.
“Get back to the car right now!” Luca roars at her, and he shoves Jasmine into Jill’s arms. “Take Jasmine!”
Jill grabs Jasmine’s hand and drags her along while Luca points a gun at me, preventing me from following them.
“Stay back,” he growls at me. “Don’t fucking follow us.”
“Give her back,” I growl.
“How did you convince her to come here if you didn’t fucking steal her?” he asks. “You threatened her, didn’t you?” He spits on the ground. “After everything I did for you …”
“You made me the way I am,” I say. “You made me remember.”
“I tried to help you! And look at what you did!” Luca growls. “You’re a fucking monster.”
“So are you,” I reply. “You’re taking the only thing I need away from me.”
“SHE WASN’T YOURS TO TAKE!” His voice echoes in the forest.
“Neither was Jill, but you took her anyway,” I respond. “She stayed too.” Birds fly overhead, distracting him for only a split second. “Jasmine belongs with me, and if you take her, I will never fucking stop.”
Luca’s nostrils flare, and it takes him a while to answer. “Home is where she belongs.”
Then he turns around and storms off back to that car they have parked near the road.
But I’m not giving up this easily.
Jasmine
* * *
“What are you doing? Stop,” I say, but she refuses to listen. I jerk my hand free. “Jill!”
“No, we need to get out of here, fast.” She grasps my wrist again, hauling me to the car, pushing and shoving until I’m already inside.
She hops in too right behind me, shutting the door behind her. “Oh, my God, I’m so glad I got you out of there safely,” she says, hugging me so tight I can’t breathe.
I push her away. “You’ve got this all wrong.”